Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) was a recurrent theme at the 3-day March 2024 Fifth International Conference on Heritage Management at Ahmedabad University. The focus was on sector economics and the impact of digital technologies on heritage activity in an era of rapid change. Over 80 participants from three continents shared a range of recent experiences on the use of new technologies in fields of arts, heritage and the creative economy. The learning from the conference will be the subject of a special volume of this journal, now under preparation. A recurrent theme was balancing technology with human values, highlighting the importance of keeping individuals and communities at the centre of concern. That priority is echoed here in an account from India’s south. Anju KP describes the development of an AI programme in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The program imitates human dialogue, a ‘chatbot’ which enables users to create a customized window to plan their visits to lesser-known palaces and forts in Tamil Nadu, opening new heritage destinations by identifying individual interests and needs.
Individuals and communities as the holders of what we value as heritage feature in three accounts contributed to this volume from the Philippines. In one of these, Geoffrey Cruz analyses the challenges of cultural governance in two contrasting locations: Escolta District in Manila, rich with memories of Spanish, Chinese, American and even Art Deco influences and Bopiliao Block in Taipei (Taiwan) with its history of over three centuries. Community action in these two locations is compared in a table of heritage assessments by key stakeholders. In Taipei, community action is combined with market-driven attention to the local creative economy, offering a framework for development action. In contrast, Escolta after the Second World War suffered a loss of vibrancy, many of its great buildings were reduced to warehouses. Community efforts at revival through museums and special events found little support, underling the importance of official policy. The author offers a useful overview of heritage incentives that apply in countries on several continents. In another region of the Philippines, high in the mountains of Quezon, comes the experience of Lucban. From there, James Mercado notes how Lucban’s history and geography offer a profound sense of place to its citizens, as well as a fresh understanding of what sustainable development should really mean. From this emerges the importance of living one’s own culture, not merely documenting it. The author analyses information from prime and secondary stakeholders towards developing a common platform for heritage action across varying perspectives. Such unified data-based guidelines are suggested as a resource for constructive action, reducing the possibilities of future conflict and misunderstanding.
Heritage as a space for conflict resolution returns from Tanzania, where Noel Lwoga looks at the complex legacy of the slave trade. In the historic town of Mikindami, what is old might appear tranquil yet, like an old building in the marketplace, is often embedded with a diversity of narratives and experiences. Here a concept of multi-vocality is applied to the importance of coping with unsettling memories. The notion of authoritarian heritage is contrasted with that of inclusive heritage discourse that can offer alternative spaces for accepting and negotiating diverse perspectives and for finding ways to present, mediate and resolve differences.
‘Making peace with the past’ is also the theme of Blessed Magadzike’s analysis of challenges posed by monuments in southern Africa following divisions imposed by colonialism and apartheid. Populist-driven perspectives—including violence to structures and renaming of streets, towns, cities, and even natural wonders—remind us that ‘there is no legacy, heritage or life that is immune to contestation’. Heritage is under constant review not only by new political dispensations but also by new generations. Moving away from what she describes as heritage fundamentalism, the author argues that erasure of heritage is not the best way to deal with controversial inheritances. Instead, interpretation is offered as a guiding framework and as an alternative to decontextualization and destruction of symbols. Does this suggest a need for heritage managers to multi-task not only as responsible interpreters and scholars but also as healers?
There are abiding lessons on healing from the Philippines in Eric Zerrado’s report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Filipino culture and society. The natural heritage emerges as both the source of the deadly virus and of the vaccine to counter it. Two centuries earlier, the country endured a deadly epidemic of cholera. A century later, the Spanish flu arrived. After yet another one hundred years came COVID-19. Each cycle of suffering turned society toward its traditional values to find resources for survival and hope. COVID has been the latest reminder of the relevance and wisdom of Filipino respect for the environment, for understanding well-being as a holistic approach for survival and resilience, and for traditional values of self-help, simplicity, resourcefulness, cooperation and compassion. The author’s reflections leave us with an inspiring thought: Heritage as humanity’s haven of security and safety and the wellspring of humanity’s achievement and happiness.